HTTP version of the Outlook Offline Address Book (OAB) does not download

Symptoms

You use Microsoft Outlook to connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox. When you start a manual download of the Offline Address Book (OAB) from an HTTP(S) location, the progress bar that appears in the Outlook Send/Receive Progress dialog box seems to freeze or becomes stuck. The download never finishes, and the local OAB files are not updated.

Cause

There are a couple of known causes of this problem.

Wireless devices on the computer have outdated drivers

This issue may occur if old or out-of-date device drivers for wireless peripheral devices are installed. This includes keyboard and mouse drivers.

Policies for the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) are configured on your computer

BITS policies allow you to control the download rate for updates. If the policy values are not configured correctly, they could effectively prevent downloads from finishing.

The Background Intelligent Transfer Service service is not Started

If the Background Intelligent Transfer Service service is not running, then the OAB will not download.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following solutions.

Update device drivers for wireless hardware

Plug in your wireless receiver and then visit the following Microsoft Windows Update website to check for updates:

If you are using a third-party keyboard or mouse, visit manufacturer's website and download the latest version of the device driver or the latest update for the device.

Check your registry for any BITS policies

If you are using a HTTP(s) location from which to download the OAB, the OAB download process is handled by BITS. In this configuration, you will want to determine if you have any BITS policies configured.

If you find EnableBitsMaxBandwith = 1, BITS download throttling is in effect and the other values are used by BITS to manage downloads. Please contact your system administrator to disable BITS download throttling to see if this resolves your OAB download issue.

Make sure the Background Intelligent Transfer Service is started

To have us start Background Intelligent Transfer Service for you, go to the "Here's an easy fix" section. If you prefer to start Background Intelligent Transfer Service yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

If you are using a HTTP(s) location from which to download the OAB, the OAB download process is handled by BITS. In this configuration, you will want to ensure the status of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service service is Started.

On the Start menu, enter Services.msc in the Search programs and files box, and then click Services.msc in the results pane.

In the Services dialog box, locate the service called Background Intelligent Transfer Service.

Review the Status of the service. You will want to make sure the Status of the service is Started.

If the Background Intelligent Transfer Service service is not started, please continue with these steps to start the service.

Double-click Background Intelligent Transfer Service in the Services dialog box.

In the Startup type drop-down, select Automatic (Delayed Start), and then click Apply. (Screen shot for this step is listed below)

Then, click Start to start the service.

You can also examine the registry to see the current configuration of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service service.

Note Do not change the status of the service through the registry. This information is provided for reference only.

More Information

Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007

You can use the following steps to determine if you are using an HTTP(s) location to download the OAB.

Start Outlook if it is not currently running.

Hold down the CTRL key, right-click the Outlook icon in the notification area on the right side of the taskbar, and then click Test E-mail AutoConfiguration.

Click to clear the Use Guessmart check box, and then click to clear the Secure Guessmart Authentication check box.

Click to select the Use AutoDiscover check box.

If not already entered, type your email address and password, and then click Test.

On the Results tab, note the path for OAB URL.

If the OAB URL value begins with HTTP, then you are using an HTTP(s) location to download the OAB. If the OAB URL value is Public Folders, then you are not using an HTTP(s) location to download the OAB.

Note Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013 only uses an HTTP location to download the OAB.